democracy in america-1-第97章

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f　their　political　opinions。　　They　all　astonished　me　by　the　language　they　held；　but　one　of　them　surprised　me　more　than　all　the　rest。　　As　I　was　crossing　one　of　the　most　remote　districts　of　Pennsylvania　I　was　benighted；　and　obliged　to　beg　for　hospitality　at　the　gate　of　a　wealthy　planter；　who　was　a　Frenchman　by　birth。　　He　bade　me　sit　down　beside　his　fire；　and　we　began　to　talk　with　that　freedom　which　befits　persons　who　meet　in　the　backwoods；　two　thousand　leagues　from　their　native　country。　I　was　aware　that　my　host　had　been　a　great　leveller　and　an　ardent　demagogue　forty　years　ago；　and　that　his　name　was　not　unknown　to　fame。　　I　was；　therefore；　not　a　little　surprised　to　hear　him　discuss　the　rights　of　property　as　an　economist　or　a　landowner　might　have　done：　he　spoke　of　the　necessary　gradations　which　fortune　establishes　among　men；　of　obedience　to　established　laws；　of　the　influence　of　good　morals　in　commonwealths；　and　of　the　support　which　religious　opinions　give　to　order　and　to　freedom；　he　even　went　to　far　as　to　quote　an　evangelical　authority　in　corroboration　of　one　of　his　political　tenets。

I　listened；　and　marvelled　at　the　feebleness　of　human　reason。　　A　proposition　is　true　or　false；　but　no　art　can　prove　it　to　be　one　or　the　other；　in　the　midst　of　the　uncertainties　of　science　and　the　conflicting　lessons　of　experience；　until　a　new　incident　disperses　the　clouds　of　doubt；　I　was　poor；　I　become　rich；　and　I　am　not　to　expect　that　prosperity　will　act　upon　my　conduct；　and　leave　my　judgment　free；　my　opinions　change　with　my　fortune；　and　the　happy　circumstances　which　I　turn　to　my　advantage　furnish　me　with　that　decisive　argument　which　was　before　wanting。　The　influence　of　prosperity　acts　still　more　freely　upon　the　American　than　upon　strangers。　　The　American　has　always　seen　the　connection　of　public　order　and　public　prosperity；　intimately　united　as　they　are；　go　on　before　his　eyes；　he　does　not　conceive　that　one　can　subsist　without　the　other；　he　has　therefore　nothing　to　forget；　nor　has　he；　like　so　many　Europeans；　to　unlearn　the　lessons　of　his　early　education。　

Chapter　XVII：　Principal　Causes　Maintaining　The　Democratic　Republic　…　Part　II

Influence　Of　The　Laws　Upon　The　Maintenance　Of　The　Democratic　Republic　In　The　United　States

Three　principal　causes　of　the　maintenance　of　the　democratic　republic　…　Federal　Constitutions　…　Municipal　institutions　…　Judicial　power。

The　principal　aim　of　this　book　has　been　to　make　known　the　laws　of　the　United　States；　if　this　purpose　has　been　accomplished；　the　reader　is　already　enabled　to　judge　for　himself　which　are　the　laws　that　really　tend　to　maintain　the　democratic　republic；　and　which　endanger　its　existence。　　If　I　have　not　succeeded　in　explaining　this　in　the　whole　course　of　my　work；　I　cannot　hope　to　do　so　within　the　limits　of　a　single　chapter。　　It　is　not　my　intention　to　retrace　the　path　I　have　already　pursued；　and　a　very　few　lines　will　suffice　to　recapitulate　what　I　have　previously　explained。


Three　circumstances　seem　to　me　to　contribute　most　powerfully　to　the　maintenance　of　the　democratic　republic　in　the　United　States。　

The　first　is　that　Federal　form　of　Government　which　the　Americans　have　adopted；　and　which　enables　the　Union　to　combine　the　power　of　a　great　empire　with　the　security　of　a　small　State。　

The　second　consists　in　those　municipal　institutions　which　limit　the　despotism　of　the　majority；　and　at　the　same　time　impart　a　taste　for　freedom　and　a　knowledge　of　the　art　of　being　free　to　the　people。

The　third　is　to　be　met　with　in　the　constitution　of　the　judicial　power。　I　have　shown　in　what　manner　the　courts　of　justice　serve　to　repress　the　excesses　of　democracy；　and　how　they　check　and　direct　the　impulses　of　the　majority　without　stopping　its　activity。　


Influence　Of　Manners　Upon　The　Maintenance　Of　The　Democratic　Republic　In　The　United　States


I　have　previously　remarked　that　the　manners　of　the　people　may　be　considered　as　one　of　the　general　causes　to　which　the　maintenance　of　a　democratic　republic　in　the　United　States　is　attributable。　　I　here　used　the　word　manners　with　the　meaning　which　the　ancients　attached　to　the　word　mores；　for　I　apply　it　not　only　to　manners　in　their　proper　sense　of　what　constitutes　the　character　of　social　intercourse；　but　I　extend　it　to　the　various　notions　and　opinions　current　among　men；　and　to　the　mass　of　those　ideas　which　constitute　their　character　of　mind。　　I　comprise；　therefore；　under　this　term　the　whole　moral　and　intellectual　condition　of　a　people。　　My　intention　is　not　to　draw　a　picture　of　American　manners；　but　simply　to　point　out　such　features　of　them　as　are　favorable　to　the　maintenance　of　political　institutions。

Religion　Considered　As　A　Political　Institution；　Which　Powerfully　Contributes　To　The　Maintenance　Of　The　Democratic　Republic　Amongst　The　Americans

North　America　peopled　by　men　who　professed　a　democratic　and　republican　Christianity　…　Arrival　of　the　Catholics　…　For　what　reason　the　Catholics　form　the　most　democratic　and　the　most　republican　class　at　the　present　time。

Every　religion　is　to　be　found　in　juxtaposition　to　a　political　opinion　which　is　connected　with　it　by　affinity。　　If　the　human　mind　be　left　to　follow　its　own　bent；　it　will　regulate　the　temporal　and　spiritual　institutions　of　society　upon　one　uniform　principle；　and　man　will　endeavor；　if　I　may　use　the　expression；　to　harmonize　the　state　in　which　he　lives　upon　earth　with　the　state　which　he　believes　to　await　him　in　heaven。　　The　greatest　part　of　British　America　was　peopled　by　men　who；　after　having　shaken　off　the　authority　of　the　Pope；　acknowledged　no　other　religious　supremacy；　they　brought　with　them　into　the　New　World　a　form　of　Christianity　which　I　cannot　better　describe　than　by　styling　it　a　democratic　and　republican　religion。　　This　sect　contributed　powerfully　to　the　establishment　of　a　democracy　and　a　republic；　and　from　the　earliest　settlement　of　the　emigrants　politics　and　religion　contracted　an　alliance　which　has　never　been　dissolved。

About　fifty　years　ago　Ireland　began　to　pour　a　Catholic　population　into　the　United　States；　on　the　other　hand；　the　Catholics　of　America　made　proselytes；　and　at　the　present　moment　more　than　a　million　of　Christians　professing　the　truths　of　the　Church　of　Rome　are　to　be　met　with　in　the　Union。　*d　The　Catholics　are　faithful　to　the　observances　of　their　religion；　they　are　fervent　and　zealous　in　the　support　and　belief　of　their　doctrines。　Nevertheless　they　constitute　the　most　republican　and　the　most　democratic　class　of　citizens　which　exists　in　the　United　States；　and　although　this　fact　may　surprise　the　observer　at　first；　the　causes　by　which　it　is　occasioned　may　easily　be　discovered　upon　reflection。

＇Footnote　d：　＇It　is　difficult　to　ascertain　with　accuracy　the　amount　of　the　Roman　Catholic　population　of　the　United　States；　but　in　1868　an　able　writer　in　the　〃Edinburgh　Review〃　（vol。　cxxvii。　p。　521）　affirmed　that　the　whole　Catholic　population　of　the　United　States　was　then　about　4；000；000；　divided　into　43　dioceses；　with　3；795　churches；　under　the　care　of　45　bishops　and　2；317　clergymen。　　But　this　rapid　increase　is　mainly　supported　by　immigration　from　the　Catholic　countries　of　Europe。＇＇

I　think　that　the　Catholic　religion　has　erroneously　been　looked　upon　as　the　natural　enemy　of　democracy。　　Amongst　the　various　sects　of　Christians；　Catholicism　seems　to　me；　on　the　contrary；　to　be　one　of　those　which　are　most　favorable　to　the　equality　of　conditions。　　In　the　Catholic　Church；　the　religious　community　is　composed　of　only　two　elements；　the　priest　and　the　people。　　The　priest　alone　rises　above　the　rank　of　his　flock；　and　all　below　him　are　equal。

On　doctrinal　points　the　Catholic　faith　places　all　human　capacities　upon　the　same　level；　it　subjects　the　wise　and　ignorant；　the　man　of　genius　and　the　vulgar　crowd；　to　the　details　of　the　same　creed；　it　imposes　the　same　observances　upon　the　rich　and　needy；　it　inflicts　the　same　austerities　upon　the　strong　and　the　weak；　it　listens　to　no　compromise　with　mortal　man；　but；　reducing　all　the　human　race　to　the　same　standard；　it　confounds　all　the　distinctions　of　society　at　the　foot　of　the　same　altar；　even　as　they　are　confounded　in　the　sight　of　God。　　If　Catholicism　predisposes　the　faithful　to　obedience；　it　certainly　does　not　prepare　them　for　inequality；　but　the　contrary　may　be　said　of　Prot